Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Yes, it is a tragedy that a beautiful young mother and a nuclear scientist, Veronica Rutledge was shot and killed by her own son in Wal-Mart. Yes, it was an accident in that there was no intent on the little boy's part to kill his mother. However, her husband is dead wrong that his wife "was not irresponsible" and his wife was dead wrong with her choice to be irresponsible which leaves her simply dead.

It seems it is pretty easy to forgive-and-forget because the young child shot his own mother dead but what if he had shot someone else's mother in Wal-mart? Would we see a lot more anger then directed at Veronica Rutledge for failure to control her firearm.

There is a simple rule of owning a firearm; you must be in control of it at all times. It should either be in a safe or on or nearby your person in such a way that NO ONE else can access the firearm. A firearm in a purse is okay IF and ONLY IF you are in control of the purse that is housing the firearm. Ms. Rutledge was clearly not in control of her firearm and, worse, she left the firearm within reach of her two-year-old son. This is not only being irresponsible, it is being criminally irresponsible. If the boy had shot someone's else's mother, I would want Veronica Rutledge to be charged as an accessory to murder.

I have always been a proponent of the right to own a handgun and the right to carry. But, I also believe that if we want that right, we also must accept the responsibility that whatever happens with that gun is our fault. If any human being dies by being shot with that gun, then unless self-defense can be proven, we should be charged with a crime whether or not our own finger was on the trigger. The only time this should not be true is if the gun was stolen from us due to a break-in of our home or vehicle or purse (and this does not included "theft" of such a weapon by a relative who has legal access to our home. If our son or nephew knows where we keep our weapons in some unlocked location, we should be responsible for that person taking the weapon and we should be responsible for what he does with it).

Owning a weapon is a huge responsibility. We have no excuse for our gun killing people unless they are trying to kill us.

12 comments:

There is a problem with some gun owners that they are lax with control of their weapons. There has always been one rule; you must be in control of your weapon at all times. If you cannot follow that rule, you must suffer the consequences. Sad as this story is, at least some innocent person did not get shot while shopping and have to pay the price for this woman's criminal negligence. Gun owners and the NRA need to take a tough stance on gun responsibility and I don't see this happening.

The other issue is what psychological effect this would have on the child when he is old enough to understand what happened. That would be devastating. How would he react to loud sounds, how would he react to the sight of a handgun? Although he is only two, the emotional scars may be deep enough to have a long, lasting effect, even at the subliminal level.

The irresponsibility with guns really angers me. A mother where I work told me she has taught her three-year-old how to shoot a real gun. She said she wants her to be able to protect herself. I think it's actually that she fears the child's father at times but won't run him off entirely and is probably hoping the child will shoot him if he attacks here. I'm so disgusted by that mentality. She acts as if this child may need to protect herself but does nothing to keep people out of her house who could be troublesome.

I'm in the Uk, I find it difficult to imagine life in the US with people carrying firearms or keeping them in their houses. I don't really understand why you all need to have them at all, I have heard a lot of stories about fatal accidents, school shootings, hold ups or people losing their temper. We never really get to hear of any of any occasions where they are successfully used for self defence, maybe that happens but in the Ukj we never hear of it.

Interesting.... The Mccans libel trial on hold...or what ever we call this...and now Scotland Yard has gone quiet?

Sure doesn't help their bs claims that they are looking for Madeline but looks more (at least those paying attention) that their actions are to help Gerry and Kate look like parents of an abducted child.

I live in the US and don't recall hearing more than maybe 1-2 cases where a gun helped. The way I feel is if someone suddenly breaks in, unless you have your gun right beside you, it does no good. I mean someome breaking in isnt gonna pause so u can get the gun out of cabinet.

trustmeigetit, That's true. That said, the US is so much bigger than the Uk, I suppose some people live in very isolated areas, having a gun gives them more protection against someone who might have an illegal gun

I always understood that its not the gun that causes the damage but the person behind it..you know the saying ...guns don't kill people ...people do.

I have noticed that in the USA that these type of tragic cases are been given a lot of attention ...at a time when it is becoming clear that the American governments are ramping up the campaign of removing guns from its citizens.

Personally I feel its the worst thing you can do - cant believe I feel this way but I do..my advice would be ..Don't let them take your guns ..no matter what.

I note there are many incidents with police killing people only to find later there was no threat / or a mistake occurred in perceptions etc etcHow do you feel about these cases Pat ? should the police officers involved be charged with Murder when they shoot and kill where there was no need or don't you think that happens?

I have heard that you have problems with trigger happy reinforcement at times.

Nope ...my advice to the people of the USA is keep your guns...albeit has Pat mentions responsibly.But keep them all the same.

If everyone had "the right to bear arms" then maybe we would realise that the answer is not to allow one and all to have access to weapons. there are many situations similar to the one Pat highlighted. Children are blank canvasses and nowadays most are exposed to programmes and media reports about firearms and where people keep them. Think movies where the woman pulls a gun out of her purse.... or where the guy in a car pulls a gun off the passenger seat. Kids absorb all sorts of ideas and research has indicated that watching violent acts rewires the brain to acceptance of such acts.Guns, knives and the like are dangerous especially in the hands of those with a short fuse.... why would you want your nutty neighbour to have an armoury at home when he might one day decide that you've done something that annoys him. it's way too late to take his toys away when someone is in a morgue. Ban guns - no one these days needs a gun to shoot something for dinner.

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By Pat Brown

"Killing for Sport is the most valuable insight into the minds of serial killers that you will ever read. While other profilers tend to conceal the clear facts behind complex technical language and psychobabble. Pat Brown actually tells it like it is."